University bosses are cutting subsidy to campus childcare services. This will mean either the closure of the on-campus crèche, or privatisation which will make childcare prohibitively expensive for many staff student parents who currently use the facilities. A campaign group have been formed to oppose the move, and they released the following provisional statement: Save Sussex University Crèche and Nursery Sussex University Crèche and Nursery offer an outstanding service to parents on campus, be they students or staff. University management is currently threatening these facilities with closure – either in their present form (by being privately outsourced) or outright (by being shut down altogether). At present, childcare provision is subsidised by the University, but management have said that they are no longer prepared to continue the current level of subsidy. Yet, decent childcare on campus enables student parents to pursue their degrees and allows staff to return to work relatively early, thereby saving the University from having to find maternity replacements. The provision of good childcare is a major consideration for prospective or current parents, when choosing to accept a job or a place at a University, and plays a major role in the retention of staff. Without it, the University’s stated commitments both to gender equality and to attracting the best faculty and students risk being undermined. Parents are committed to working with staff to find effective cost-cutting measures to keep the Crèche and Nursery open and to demonstrate to the University management the value of these childcare facilities to the University’s future success. We are now collecting the evidence to demonstrate why and how the Crèche and Nursery should have a future. We will shortly be launching an online survey and will invite current and prospective users and other interested individuals to fill it in. In the meantime, please send an email with any of your comments to savesussexnursery@yahoo.co.uk. There is going to be a public meeting for all those affected by the proposed cuts and redundancies on Friday, 6pm. The location is yet to be announced, university has announced ‘equipment checks’ for all large rooms on campus. |
